An agricultural harvester known as a “combine” is historically termed such because it combines multiple harvesting functions with a single harvesting unit, such as picking, threshing, separating and cleaning. A combine includes a header, which removes the crop from a field, and a feeder housing which transports the crop matter into a threshing rotor. The threshing rotor rotates within a perforated housing, which may be in the form of adjustable concaves and performs a threshing operation on the crop to remove the grain. Once the grain is threshed it falls through perforations in the concaves onto a grain pan. From the grain pan the grain is cleaned using a cleaning system, and is then transported to a grain tank onboard the combine. A cleaning fan blows air through the sieves to discharge chaff and other debris toward the rear of the combine. Non-grain crop material such as straw from the threshing section proceeds through a residue system, which may utilize a straw chopper to process the non-grain material and direct it out the rear of the combine. When the grain tank becomes full, the combine is positioned adjacent a vehicle into which the grain is to be unloaded, such as a semi-trailer, gravity box, straight truck, or the like; and an unloading system on the combine is actuated to transfer the grain into the vehicle.
More particularly, a rotary threshing or separating system includes one or more rotors which can extend axially (front to rear) or transversely within the body of the combine, and which are partially or fully surrounded by a perforated concave. The crop material is threshed and separated by the rotation of the rotor within the concave. Coarser non-grain crop material such as stalks and leaves are transported to the rear of the combine and discharged back to the field. The separated grain, together with some finer non-grain crop material such as chaff, dust, straw, and other crop residue are discharged through the concaves and fall onto a grain pan where they are transported to a cleaning system. Alternatively, the grain and finer non-grain crop material may also fall directly onto the cleaning system itself.
A cleaning system further separates the grain from non-grain crop material, and typically includes a fan directing an airflow stream upwardly and rearwardly through vertically arranged sieves which oscillate in a fore and aft manner. The airflow stream lifts and carries the lighter non-grain crop material towards the rear end of the combine for discharge to the field. Clean grain, being heavier, and larger pieces of non-grain crop material, which are not carried away by the airflow stream, fall onto a surface of an upper sieve (also known as a chaffer sieve) where some or all of the clean grain passes through to a lower sieve (also known as a cleaning sieve). Grain and non-grain crop material remaining on the upper and lower sieves are physically separated by the reciprocating action of the sieves as the material moves rearwardly. Any grain and/or non-grain crop material remaining on the top surface of the upper sieve are discharged at the rear of the combine. Grain falling through the lower sieve lands on a bottom pan of the cleaning system, where it is conveyed forwardly toward a clean grain auger.
The clean grain auger conveys the grain to a grain tank for temporary storage. The grain accumulates to the point where the grain tank is full and is discharged to an adjacent vehicle such as a semitrailer, gravity box, straight truck or the like by an unloading system on the combine that is actuated to transfer grain into the vehicle.
The concaves are coupled to frame members and need to be replaced due to wear or due to changes in the crop being harvested.
In EP 2514300 (U.S. Pat. No. 8,628,390) there is disclosed a support system for separator grates of a harvester. As can be seen in FIGS. 6-11, a grate is moved into an entry location and one side of the grate is hooked onto a supporting bar and then the other side is raised and also hooked onto another supporting bar. As can be seen in FIGS. 9-10 there is room allowed for the installer to reach in and support the grate as it is manipulated into the dual hooked arrangement. The grate is then slid in an axial direction and another grate is inserted at the entry location. The dual hooking arrangement can be seen in FIG. 11, where the hooks have been positioned to diminish the gaps 70 and 82 to preclude the grate from becoming unhooked. A disadvantage with this arrangement is that the grate has to be maneuvered and supported by the installer until it is hooked into position. Another disadvantage is that the grate hooking arrangement has to be manipulated to minimize spacing to keep the grate from becoming unhooked.
What is needed in the art is a cost effective and efficient way of allowing the changing of concaves in the harvester, while minimizing the effort by the installer.